Gear You Wanted to Love...but Didn't!

[xstartxtodayx 343]

1 hour ago, the_game said:

bite your tongue, loved my Easton GX1350...as far as I'm concerned thems fighting words I challenge you to a duel at dawn

🤣 I still think they're prob the coolest looking gloves of all time... I still see them when I think of Leetch, Zubov, and Kovalev, oh and Modano too (wasn't he the last guy to wear them  he had them branded as Warriors in his later years).

[the_game 452]

18 hours ago, xstartxtodayx said:

🤣 I still think they're prob the coolest looking gloves of all time... I still see them when I think of Leetch, Zubov, and Kovalev, oh and Modano too (wasn't he the last guy to wear them  he had them branded as Warriors in his later years).

Gloves from the 90's in general are the coolest looking just because they incorporated more colors, especially the Easton's. They were able to come up with some interesting colorways (sharks come to mind) but also with the glove construction I guess they could show more of the colors used so I guess thats what made them look good. I will admit though the only drawback to those gloves was being a kid and playing a tournament with 2 games in one day, the glove would never dry and that next day you put your hand in was just gross.

[Jbear 113]

I think my gear was soaked from 1974-1994🥶.  The two best things to me about modern gear...the lighter weight...and...stuff is dry by the time you get home from the rink (OK...that's admittedly hyperbolic...but you know what I mean).

I suppose we all have biases, but to me...the Cooper gloves from the 70's are the s**t!  I have no doubt that's cuz I grew up on them, but...

Dang...hijacked my own thread🤣

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 4/11/2020 at 10:47 AM, CaptainCharisma said:

CCM RBZ revolution.  The faceplate tech made for a harder shot (supposedly), but also created heavier blade, along with a bad puck feel.  My shot wasn't noticeably harder, but I could definitely notice the heavy blade.  

The next generation FT1 kept the faceplate tech and made it less blade-heavy.  Haven't tried it out as the Revolution turned me off the RBZ line entirely.    

 

 

This stick was a log and had zero puck feel but you could seriously rip some one-timer with it. I think it was cool they tried to incorporate new technology into the blade but it was an absolutely terrible product. 

[Jbear 113]

In like...93 or 94 I bought a pair of DR Centurion shin guards because they looked super-protective.  They were (are), but were also incredibly bulky and hot. When I wore them,  I felt like I was ready to go out and train with a K9 unit.  I could barely crossover with these on.  I will say, if you have knee injury or are particularly concerned about having one...these are your best friend. Just not gonna be Bobby Orr while you're wearing them. 

They're on sale on Sidelineswap and Ebay...probably forever.

[julkki 0]

Warrior Alpha QX stick. The stick was perfectly balanced and shots weren't a problem. The main issue was the blade feel that felt completely dead to me...

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

On 5/3/2020 at 11:04 AM, SkateWorksPNW said:

This stick was a log and had zero puck feel but you could seriously rip some one-timer with it. I think it was cool they tried to incorporate new technology into the blade but it was an absolutely terrible product. 

did it ping when making contact?

[Koopa 13]

My cage shield on my cooper helmet sucked big time. I thought it looked quite sinister a bit like the old 70s/80s goalie masks but I couldnt see for sh1t. 

Also I really wanted to love my black / white Tackla gloves I had in the late 90s. I was a big LA kings fan at the time and used to wear my away jersey all the time at practice so they matched well. The gloves were stiff and uncomfortable as hell, zero feel and sometimes when I was on a break away I would actually ditch the gloves so I could stick handle better LOL

[althoma1 574]

The silver Easton 110 flex Aluminum shaft I tried to use when I was 13. That thing would be too stiff for me now; it was crazy stiff at that age. I also had a 100 flex gold Easton; it wasn't quite as bad, but still too stiff. I knew nothing about flex, skate hollows and all the great things I learned from this site at that time. I did stumble upon some sticks and shafts with more appropriate flex ratings, but that was basically because they were on sale and I got lucky and not because I knew what I needed. 

Also, the Nike 004 helmet. It looked great, but was too narrow for me at the temples and gave me headaches. I moved on to helmets that aren't really known for their style, but fit me comfortably. 

Edited January 30, 2021 by althoma1

[Tucker16 37]

The Bauer IMS9.0. I love the look of it but man it was so narrow. I like VN helmets so I thought it would be great. Not at all. Went back to my V08 and have never experimented again. 

[BruinDust 42]

Pretty much any Ribcore stick I've used (ASY, Trigger 2 PMT, 3D). Which is too bad because the Ribcore line is my favorite stick line based solely on appearance, love the green and black scheme. But in any of the Ribcore's I've had the shooting was "meh". Probably just doesn't fit my mechanics using a low-kick point stick. 

[Miller55 333]

Warrior qrl sl stick. Wanted to love it, took a few shots and just did not like the feel at all. 

Also, wanted to line all three of the big curves, 28, 88, 92, but I never did. 28 was just too open for me, 88 is great but the rocker and the lie is too high for me, and  the 92 I didn't like the feel on backhanders, though admittedly I didn't give it that much of a chance. 

[bondoao1 8]

On 1/29/2021 at 9:06 AM, althoma1 said:

The silver Easton 110 flex Aluminum shaft I tried to use when I was 13. That thing would be too stiff for me now; it was crazy stiff at that age. I also had a 100 flex gold Easton; it wasn't quite as bad, but still too stiff. I knew nothing about flex, skate hollows and all the great things I learned from this site at that time. I did stumble upon some sticks and shafts with more appropriate flex ratings, but that was basically because they were on sale and I got lucky and not because I knew what I needed. 

Also, the Nike 004 helmet. It looked great, but was too narrow for me at the temples and gave me headaches. I moved on to helmets that aren't really known for their style, but fit me comfortably. 

I was going to mention the Easton aluminum shaft sticks.

Mine lasted half a game before the shaft kinked/bent in the middle when taking a slap shot from the top of the left circle. 

 

[xstartxtodayx 343]

I remember those early Eastons, the gold with green writing and the silver (and one kid I knew even had the chrome Gretzky one)... they looked awesome but were so stiff and would hurt my hands when shooting from the shock of the shaft (and forget about getting any flex out of them being I was in maybe 10th grade when they came out).  I loved the look and the style points of the Eastons but my old Vic 4050's had some awesome flex and worked so much better for me (honestly my favorite wooden stick ever).

[JBP 18]

Mission Carbster helmet...sadly it hurt...

[FlyChicaga 21]

Bauer Nexus pro stock pants for me. They're semi hard to find, particularly in a few teams. When I saw them available, I said MUST HAVE. Played in them a few times, and was totally underwhelmed. Sold.... only to try it again at least two more times. I keep going back to the HP45, and finally I think I've learned my lesson. They look really nice on PSH and SLS though when I see them pop up...

[Jbear 113]

1) I really want to like Warrior Alpha sticks.  The QX blade had no feel to me and even 75 seemed not to flex very well (I usually use 80/85).  The DX had much better feel but any shot not directly in the sweet spot sent shock waves to my hands...like hitting a baseball off the handle.  Maybe the next iteration will work.  Either way...I'm using AS3 Pro/FT3Pro/Trigger 4 Pro now and they are perfect for me, so...guess I'm not gonna worry about it.

2) Girdles...in general.  Thought I could have more mobility and the same protection.  Nope...lots more mobility...lots less protection.  I tried the Super Tacks girdle, which was supposed to be the beefiest.  Thigh pads would shift and expose area.  Next to nothing behind the legs. and the tailbone was dangerously underpadded (IMO).  Back to pro stock HP45 and QRL...and very happy.

3) Bauer Supreme1s Gloves: Love the protection...love the design...do not like the palms with their thick extra padding...esp. the thumb.  I could even live with that or find pro stock, but...I am a 14".  14 in this glove is too tight...15 is too big (swimming in them).  Fortunately...Vapor 1x Pro/APX Pro is perfect for me in 14, as are CCM HG97's...the two I use the most now.  Love both.

[BruinDust 42]

14 hours ago, xstartxtodayx said:

I remember those early Eastons, the gold with green writing and the silver (and one kid I knew even had the chrome Gretzky one)... they looked awesome but were so stiff and would hurt my hands when shooting from the shock of the shaft (and forget about getting any flex out of them being I was in maybe 10th grade when they came out).  I loved the look and the style points of the Eastons but my old Vic 4050's had some awesome flex and worked so much better for me (honestly my favorite wooden stick ever).

Reminds me of another one, the Bauer Supreme aluminum. It was a medium grey with royal blue lettering, came out in the early-to-mid 1990s. I was a fan of the Bauer Supreme wood stick which was white with the "Supreme" lettering yellow instead of the blue. So I thought the Supreme aluminum looked awesome with the blue and grey. Anyways we had a local store that sold used gear and sure enough, had one of these used Supreme aluminums available. I pestered my father for weeks until he finally caved and bought it. 

 

I knew nothing about sticks other than I thought it looked awesome. What a piece of junk. It was extremely heavy, awful balance, practically no flex in the hands of a 13-14 year old minor player. I couldn't use it. After all that badgering to get my father to buy it I think I used it one or two games and it became a permanent spare after that. 

[althoma1 574]

1 hour ago, BruinDust said:

Reminds me of another one, the Bauer Supreme aluminum. It was a medium grey with royal blue lettering, came out in the early-to-mid 1990s. I was a fan of the Bauer Supreme wood stick which was white with the "Supreme" lettering yellow instead of the blue. So I thought the Supreme aluminum looked awesome with the blue and grey. Anyways we had a local store that sold used gear and sure enough, had one of these used Supreme aluminums available. I pestered my father for weeks until he finally caved and bought it. 

 

I knew nothing about sticks other than I thought it looked awesome. What a piece of junk. It was extremely heavy, awful balance, practically no flex in the hands of a 13-14 year old minor player. I couldn't use it. After all that badgering to get my father to buy it I think I used it one or two games and it became a permanent spare after that. 

Ha! I had that one too. I bought it on sale, tried it a couple times and then it also became a permanent backup. It wasn't something I really wanted, it was just something I picked up on impulse at the store for myself with some paper route money (I think it was on sale for $50). I was around the same age when I bought mine. I forget if it was before or after I bought the Easton's, but out of the Aluminum shafts I preferred the Gold Easton, Silver Easton (even though I couldn't flex it at all) and then the Bauer was a VERY distant third. None of those were right for me (although the gold easton was usable), but the Bauer Aluminum was clearly the worst. 

The wood and fiber glass sticks I had at the time definitely worked better. The first shaft I had that was close to the right flex was a Koho Vector 400 DRC Fiberglass shaft in "Mid-stiff" flex that I picked up around 16 or 17.  

Edited February 3, 2021 by althoma1

[greyraven8 9]

I'll jump on the aluminum Easton bandwagon - way too stiff for me.

One beautiful looking wood stick that I loved the look of but was way to stiff for me was a Branches wood stick.  Small local used hockey shop (LONG gone) from decades ago had quite a few of them.